A Sisterhood of young women

Empowered to change the world

Message from Head of School Ms. Nicia Fullwood

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the Class of 2021 and 2022 to BELA. You’re the first to experience the BELA journey. A journey that's rooted in inquiry, self discovery, creativity, developing your intellectual confidence, and finding your voice...your authentic voice. A voice that will impact policies, cure diseases, challenge the status quo, and mentor future BELA students. Welcome to the BELA family!

The BELA Journey

The BELA Mission

To empower each young woman to be the best version of herself. Through a rigorous college preparatory curriculum, service learning initiatives, and a commitment to cultivating a spirit of ownership within each young woman, BELA students will attend and graduate from college.

BELA’s Core Values

Sisterhood

At BELA, we believe in a community of young women who uplift, encourage, empower, and challenge each other well beyond their time at BELA, and who will serve as eternal lifelines.

Strength

At BELA, we believe in taking care of ourselves emotionally, spiritually, and physically to foster positive resilience and strength.

Service

At BELA, we believe the giving of oneself is our personal responsibility. We invest in strengthening the needs of our local and global community by teaching and practicing service.

Scholarship

At BELA, we believe in a stimulating learning environment that promotes academic achievement, intellectual confidence, innovation and exploration, and life-long learning.

Why All-Girls?

“We know that educating girls is the best investment we can make, not just in their future, but in the future of their families, their communities, and their countries.” - First Lady Michelle Obama

BELA’s all-girls model is grounded in extensive research on the effectiveness of single sex education in high school. Dr. Linda Sax’s, a Stanford professor, research has concluded the following:

Higher confidence in mathematical ability and computer skills: Graduates of single-sex schools arrive at college with greater confidence in their mathematical and computer abilities.

Greater interest in engineering careers and higher career aspirations: Career aspirations tended to be the same with the exception of engineering. Graduates of single-sex schools are more likely to say that they plan to become engineers than their coeducational peers. In addition, research has suggested that a single-sex learning environment may contribute to girls thinking more expansively about their career aspirations. For example, one study found that girls from single-sex schools were more likely to aspire to higher prestige careers compared to girls from co-ed schools.